


Good Luck, Travel Safe, GO!

by NamsonTrash



Category: GOT7, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Amazing Race AU, Canon Compliant, Fluffy, Hopefully Minimal Angst, M/M, but still
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-05-28 12:44:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6329746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamsonTrash/pseuds/NamsonTrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Namjoon and Jackson go on The Amazing Race.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Episode 1

**Author's Note:**

> [‘we’re best friends who have wanted to do this forever and i’ve been in love with you for years and maybe you’ll fall in love with me on the race’](http://finntroopers.tumblr.com/post/141123036588/amazing-race-aus-amazing)
> 
>  
> 
> Also totally basing this off of Season 17 because they went to Hong Kong, and from there South Korea so yea

“Jackson and Namjoon, best friends and idols from Seoul, South Korea”. Phil Keoghan announced the final pair for the new season of The Amazing Race.

Namjoon was the first to speak on air of the two, “I was born and raised in Korea, Jackson however is actually from Hong Kong.”

“But for the last few years we’ve both been working out of Korea. We came on the race to show everyone our passion.” Jackson added.

Namjoon nodded, “and we’re always doing our best for our fans, which is while we’ll be great competitors because we both do our best no matter what happens.”

Jackson smiled, “We’re also extremely excited to be the first foreign team to be on the race!”.

“Fighting!” the pair cheered.

\--

Jackson remembered JYP calling him into his office. He wondered what in the world he was going to have to do, he definitely should have been a little more concerned when his schedule started clearing up rather than seeing it as a much needed break.

“So, how well do you get on with Kim Namjoon?” JYP asked as soon as Jackson entered the office. Why was he asking about Namjoon? Did he know… no there was no way he could know what the boy was thinking.

“Uh, well we’re pretty good friends I guess.” Jackson responded, relieved to see the smile come to his boss’s face.

“Good, good. So you’ve probably noticed how your schedule is empty now. “ JYP started and Jackson offered a nod. “It’s because we’ve arranged for Namjoon and you to appear on this American show, ‘The Amazing Race’, have you heard of it?”

Making sure he didn’t laugh Jackson responded, “Oh, yes, it’s where they travel to different countries and race to compete challenges, right?”.

JYP nodded, “After seeing how many people wanted you and Namjoon on ‘Celebrity Bromance’, we needed to find a way to give the fans what they want. This is also a great opportunity to expand the international fan groups for both GOT7 and Bangtan. You’ll leave on Wednesday, and depending on how things go, you’ll hopefully be gone for about three weeks. Do you have any questions?”

Jackson didn’t really know what to say, he wasn’t too happy about his schedule filling up so suddenly when he expected to be getting a break. On the bright side he’d get to spend three weeks with one of his best friends, and to be honest if he could pick anyone to do this with it would be Namjoon just because the two rarely get to see each other.

“I don’t think so, is there anything in particular I need to pack before Wednesday?”

“No, your bags will be ready for you when you’re picked up.”

Jackson nodded, “Okay, thank you for this opportunity” he offered before heading back to the dorm.

\--

Namjoon was just trying to figure out how to tell his members that he was going to be gone for three weeks. Don’t get him wrong, he was actually really excited to do this, especially with Jackson. He heard his phone sounding because he got a message.

Speak of the devil, “Hey Joonie, has anyone told you about the thing?”.

Namjoon chuckled, he was told not to tell Jackson about it until tomorrow, apparently JYP got to him sooner than he thought he would. “Yea, I’m just trying to figure out how to tell the members about it now. It sounds pretty cool though.” He hit send.

Namjoon just decided to tell everyone after dinner, and after he talked with Yoongi about temporarily leading the group, however that plan was changed when the elder asked him, in front of everyone, why he got called to JYP’s office. He couldn’t blame the older, he was surprised to go to the person at the top of the chain for the company, honestly he was worried about what the man would say.

“Oh it’s nothing, well actually, okay it’s basically nothing.” After it left his mouth he realized he probably should have phrased it better, especially at seeing the concern that flashed on everyone’s faces.

“Okay, let me rephrase this,” he apologized, “Has anyone heard of this American show called ‘The Amazing Race’?”. After a few seconds of silence Namjoon continued, “Okay, so basically it’s this show where pairs go on and race around the world, and the winners get over a billion Won.” At this the members gasped, they could nearly break even with that much.

“So, today JYP called me into his office and told me that Jackson from GOT7 and I would go to compete on the show, if we happen to win the funds will be split between the two groups.” Namjoon stopped for a beat, “I leave in two days, and I’ll be gone for about two weeks. Yoongi, I was hoping to talk to you about this after dinner, but I was hoping you’d be willing to lead in my place while I was gone.”

“Of course”

Namjoon smiled, he knew he could count on Yoongi.

\--

Jackson groaned as he was awoken by his alarm. They’d be here to bring him to the airport in an hour. Which meant he had an hour to shower, get dressed, and say goodbye to his groupmates. 

Deciding to start with the shower he got out of bed and looked over at Mark’s bed and was surprised to find it empty. Not thinking too much of it he grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom, but was stopped when he saw everyone waiting in the living room for him. He couldn’t help but smile as he decided to forgo the shower in exchange for spending these last sixty minutes with six people he wouldn’t see for nearly a month. 

\--

Namjoon was just getting done with his goodbyes when there was a knock on the door signaling it was time to leave. He smiled and left, but not before telling everyone to behave and “listen to Yoongi, I don’t want to come back to a grumpy grandpa”. And just like that he met Jackson in the car as they set off for the airport where a 20 hour flight awaited the pair.

“Are you excited?” Jackson asked, for the fourth time, so Namjoon responded

“Yes! Jackson, for the fourth time, yes, I can’t wait to get to Boston.” A smile spreading on his face.

The remainder of the ride consisted of the two talking about what they expected it to be like, what was packed for them, and where they would go.

“What if we get to go to Hong Kong?!” Jackson excitedly mentioned, “We’d do so great, I doubt there’s going to be someone who knows it as good as me!” he loudly cheered.

Namjoon considered this, he assumed if nothing else they’d probably go to China, and he was grateful that the two covered so many languages. He smiled, “who knows, we might end up back in Seoul”.

Jackson smiled, excited for the journey that lay ahead of him and Namjoon, and for the rest of the ride, and nearly half the flight, they talked about different places they could end up, and what they could end up doing there.

\--

They land in Boston and have twenty hours before they need to report at the starting line. Normally they would take this opportunity to explore, but with plenty of that ahead they decide to just head to their hotel and get some rest. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to familiarize themselves with what was packed as well. 

After they had been through everything in their bags. – A compass? Really? – they ordered dinner and went to bed, well at least tried. It had been half an hour and Jackson was still awake. 

“Joonie?” the older questioned, only to be met with the sound of rustling sheets, and a moment later a hum. “Are you afraid?”

At this Namjoon turned to face him, and asked, “what is there to be afraid of? They’re not going to make us do anything dangerous Jackson.”

“I know, I just, I’m worried about what our fans will think.”, a moment of silence, so long Namjoon thought Jackson had fallen asleep, before he quietly spoke up, “I… I felt like I was deserting the guys, what if the fans think that?”.

Namjoon sighed, sure there would be people who thought just that, but only because they didn’t realize how little time this actually took up. And besides, both groups had just finished promoting, there were no events that either would be missing, rather they missed out on a chunk of their break.

“Sorry, “ Jackson spoke up, “it was a stupid thing for me to bring up. Night Joonie”. At this he turned his back to the other man and closed his eyes, which was futile because thirty seconds later they sprang open when he felt a gust of cold when his blanket was lifted up.

“It wasn’t stupid,” Namjoon said as he got in behind the other, “I mean, I’m sure there’s some people who might think that, but that’s only because they don’t know how long something like this actually takes”. Namjoon wrapped an arm over Jackson’s side, “But they’ll be few and far between, I promise”.

Jackson smiled, “Okay, thanks Joonie”, and just after pushing further back, deeper into the younger’s embrace, “good night”.

\--

It was surprisingly easy for them to wake up the next day, probably because they had both slept better than either could remember. After a quick shower from each and breakfast they were at the starting line of the race, ready to go.

Everyone was anxious to start, so when Phil Keoghan addressed everyone, they knew it was getting serious. They were told that there were 2 flights out of the airport that they could get on, but there was only room for three teams on the first flight, so it was important to get to the airport as soon as possible. “The world is waiting for you,” he began wrapping up the introduction, “good luck, travel safe, GO!”.

They raced to where their bags were, getting to them towards the beginning of the pack and read their first clue, "Fly to London, England. When you land drive yourself to Stonehenge. You have $100 for this leg of the race." After reading the entirety of the clue, they ran to the car closest to the exit, and after getting everything settled drove off, aware they had no clue how to get to the airport. 

After they had been driving for ten minutes or so they saw a traffic officer nearby, and asked him how to get to the airport. “It’s in the exact opposite direction you’re heading, just turn around and drive until you get to 128, and take a right, from there you can just follow the signs.”.

They thanked him for this time before Namjoon turned the car around and followed his directions.

“Of course we’d end up going the wrong way,” Jackson laughed.

Namjoon only shook his head with a smile.

\--

It turns out, there were exactly three teams that knew how to get to the airport, or if they didn’t they got there quicker than Namjoon and Jackson. So, they were just sitting at the gate, talking to the other teams who would end up on the second flight. Everyone seemed friendly enough. Apparently no one was told there would be a foreign team on the race. A few people were surprised when they learned English was neither’s native language.

They landed with seven of the other teams the next morning, and rather than rushing to their waiting car they stopped at the help desk and asked for directions of how to get to Stonehenge. The person happily helped them by giving them a map and verbal directions. 

Which is why despite being the last team to leave the airport, they were the first to get to Stonehenge. 

\--

They were currently looking around for locals to ask if there was a “Nor’Wester” castle, or something of the like.

“Do you mean Nor’Easter?” a gas station attendant asked.

“Well actually, we need to find a castle that is the opposite of that.” Namjoon added.

“Oh! Are you looking for East Nor?”

“Yes!” Jackson happily replied, probably a little too loud judging by the poor lady’s face. “Oh, sorry”.

“Oh, you’re fine sweetheart” she started before giving them a local map and pointing out the castle on it.

\--

By the time they got to the castle they saw there were two other cars already there, so the pair rushed to the ladders they were supposed to climb, but then they saw what was happening there. As you “stormed” the wall people were dumping bags of water on you. 

“Greaaat” Namjoon breathed before the two put the cloths on their heads and began climbing. He was sure they should have made it to the top already, so he looked up to see how far away they were. That was a mistake.

Just as he pulled back a bit and looked up a buckets worth of water hit him in the face, pushing him backwards. He would have fallen had Jackson’s arm not reached out to steady his teammate, “Don’t worry, I got you”. Namjoon looked over and Jackson flashed a smile before saying, “Just a little bit further Joonie, you can do this”. Namjoon was thankful for whatever was covering his head, because in addition from protecting him somewhat from the water, it also stopped Jackson from seeing the blush that dusted his cheeks.

\--

They had stormed the castle, gotten their flag, and gotten in their boat, and that’s where things started to go wrong.

It seemed no matter what they tried their little pod would capsize. The first couple of times it was funny but it was just getting down right annoying. It felt like an eternity later, three teams had already passed them, when they reached the other side of the river.

“Finally!” Jackson cheered loudly, and Namjoon could only smile.

\--

“Who’s ready to go battle with knight and shining armor?” Namjoon read aloud their next clue. Having seen the jousters when they ran over, they assumed it would have something to do with that. “Jackson, you got this!”

Jackson smiled and got on behind his knight, “Woooo” he shrieked as they rode off. Namjoon laughed and started following.

It turns out the challenge had nothing to do with jousting, he had to knock armor off with melons, Jackson was just a tad disappointed. But his spirits were lifted with every comment Namjoon made, cheering on the other.

And when Jackson finally knocked down the knight, he barely had time to turn around before Namjoon lifted him up and spun him in a circle. “Lets go!” Namjoon cheered as he handed Jackson his backpack and began making his way to get their final clue. Jackson hoped the other didn’t realize how long it took him to start moving, or how judging by the color of his face it looked like he was hit with a watermelon.

The next clue told them to search the grounds for the pit stop, and after observing the area Namjoon hit Jackson excitedly, “Look over there!” After seeing what must be the pit stop Jackson finally came back to his senses.

“Lets go!” he said as he started running, but turning to make sure Namjoon was following him, he saw another team running as well. “Hurry! There’s someone right behind us!”.

Namjoon didn’t even look before running with the elder, and they got within meters of the pit stop when his feet betrayed him and he fell into a roll.

Hearing the thud Jackson stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his partner. Seeing him on the ground he let out a yelp that was supposed to be his name. But Jackson’s shoulders relaxed when he saw the taller man laughing. 

As his teammate helped him to his feet, Namjoon nearly vocalized the thought that made him fall in the first place, “Sorry, I just fell head over heels for you”, instead he only said the first word and they walked hand in hand to the final stretch to the pit stop where Phil and the team that barely beat them were waiting. Cheering when they found out they and other team had placed fourth and fifth.


	2. Episode 2

Within an hour of reaching the pit stop they were in their room for the night.

“Only 11 hours until we go again!” Jackson told Namjoon after they had thrown their bags on their respective bunks. The younger smiled as he pulled out the two extra alarm clocks that were packed for him, one of the things he completely understood. 

“Are you going to shower tonight or tomorrow?” Namjoon asked, needing to know when to set the alarms for.

“I was planning on doing it after dinner.”

“Okay, I’ll do it tomorrow then,” he said as he set the alarms for an hour, and fifty-five minutes before they would be allowed to leave. “Ready to go?”

“Is that even a question?! Do you KNOW how hungry I am?” Jackson replied nearly skipping out the door.

“Dork” Namjoon laughed under his breath as he locked the door.

“What?”

“Oh nothing,” Namjoon smiled as they made their way down the street.

\--

After their meal they returned to the room, in a comfortable silence Jackson went to take his shower and Namjoon went to bed, or at least he tried. For some reason he just kept tossing and turning. Okay, so maybe he was a little more upset about falling before the finish line than he thought. In the long run that minute difference of their next departure really won’t matter, but he’s just worried he disappointed Jackson.

Speak of the devil, as Namjoon’s mulling over this in his head he hears the shower stop and the bathroom door open. He’s hoping he’s still enough Jackson won’t even notice he’s still awake.

\--

When Jackson exits the bathroom he’s his with the silence of their room, “Joonie, are you alright?” he asks, knowing the younger man is awake from his lack of snoring. Silence. Jackson just assumes he must have just fallen asleep then and lays down in the bed across from Namjoon. He goes to turn off the light, and as soon as the room is in darkness he can swear he feels Namjoon staring at him. 

Thinking nothing of it he just curls up and tries to go to sleep, just as he’s about to fall into unconsciousness he hears a soft voice saying, “Sorry Jackson, “ Namjoon starts in Korean, and a beat later, “I shouldn’t have fallen.”

Jackson’s eyes open, he can’t believe Namjoon would apologize for such a thing, it wasn’t his fault that he sometimes, okay usually, had two left feet. Jackson sees the other’s eyes boring into his, but as soon as they’ve made contact Namjoon turns around having thought that Jackson was surely asleep. 

At this Jackson slowly gets up and makes his way to the other’s bed, lifting up the blanket before filling in the spot behind the Korean. Jackson wraps his arm over Namjoon’s shoulder as he finds himself dropping a kiss to the other’s hair. “There’s nothing to apologize for, now go to sleep” he says in the other’s ear, barely above a whisper. 

\--

“Now go to sleep” the words felt like Heaven to Namjoon’s ears, however chose to ignore this revelation and relax into the elder’s embrace, finally falling asleep with a smile on his face.

\--

The pair were standing where they checked in last night, waiting for their first clue of the day. Thirty seconds ago the team that placed fourth in the previous lag had ran off, any second now.

“Fly to the city of Accra.” Namjoon read their first clue aloud.

“We’re going to GHANA!” Jackson screamed for the camera, and like that the pair were off looking for their car to get to the airport. 

\--

Eight hours after getting to the airport they were landing in Ghana. They rushed out of the building looking for a taxi bringing them to Memorial Park. They were the third team that they saw to grab a cab, and before they knew it they were flying down the road, thanks to the fact that the driver appeared ready to drive through anything that got in their way.

Namjoon counted the clues that were left as Jackson read the clue aloud, after finding the name of the Market they needed to go to the pair ran back to their cab and as soon as they were seated and on their way to the market Namjoon told Jackson that they were in first place.

“YES!” Jackson responded with a shout, and Namjoon could only smile, noticing how happy the other truly looked. He didn’t even feel bad for the driver who had probably had his eardrums shattered from the Hong Kong native. 

Arriving at the market they ran to the clue box and it was Namjoon’s turn to read it aloud, “Who thinks they can handle some shady dealings?” Namjoon looked at his teammate, “I’ll do it because you did the last one”.

Jackson smiled before cheering the other on.

\--

Namjoon grimaced as so many people were ignoring him. Jackson would have definitely been the better choice for this Road Block, he’d have no problem getting in people’s faces to get them to buy the sunglasses. It had been probably half an hour and he’d only been able to sell one pair for 5 cedi. 

“Joonie!” he heard his name being called, after turning around three times, and Jackson calling his name at least five more, he spotted the boy.

“Jackson!” he called out, then Jackson told him, in Korean, how there was a group of older women off to the side, maybe he could charm them. “Okay!” he laughed.

Turning to head to said women his heart almost warmed at hearing the other boy’s cheer of “Fighting!”, but of course it must only be the adrenaline of actually having a chance at this challenge.

\--

Jackson smiled as Namjoon made his way toward him, having completed the roadblock in fourth place. He knew his idea would work. What seemed like just a few moments later they made it to the detour.

“Tune in, or check out.” Jackson read aloud. Looking at one another they both spoke “Tune in”, thinking that installing an antenna couldn’t be too difficult. By the time they found a house that needed the antenna they were surrounded by three already fighting teams. Maybe it wouldn’t be as easy as they thought.

At least they had an advantage in being able to speak in a different language, being able to block out the English those around them were shouting. Everything seemed to be going fine for them, until it was time to connect it to the TV, it was a constant static. 

The next twenty minutes consisted of Jackson on the roof, because there was no way in hell he’d let Namjoon up there, twisting and turning everything to try to get in the signal strong. He doubts he’d ever felt as relieved as when Namjoon shouted “stop!” signifying that the signal was clear enough.

As they got their final clue telling them where the pit stop was they looked around and noticed only one team had been able to leave before them. Hopefully moving the coffins took a while too. 

\--

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the pit stop. Upon seeing the happy pair, Phil joked, “You two look happy,” at the pause the pair nodded, just wanting to know where they had placed, “as you should be! You are team number two!”.

“Wahoooo” Jackson shrieked pulling the taller boy into a hug and swirling him around. 

“Two legs down, ten to go.” Namjoon smiled at the elder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I'm not really happy with this. I feel like I want to make it longer, but I don't know how to do it without making it angsty? I don't know, we'll see with the next episode!
> 
> Also, please let me know what you think :D


	3. Episode 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their adventures in Ghana continue.

Namjoon awoke to the screeching of his alarm. He twisted to turn it off, but stopped as the arms that were around his waist tightened their grip. That’s weird, he decided to shower after Jackson last night, hoping it would help him fall asleep much sooner. It did, although he’s fairly certain that Jackson was in his own bed when Namjoon exited the bathroom, sound asleep.

Not thinking too much about it Namjoon just nudged the elder, “Jackson, we have to get up, we’re leaving in twenty minutes”

“But moooooom,” Jackson whined, only pulling Namjoon closer, as if that was even possible. 

Namjoon smiled, “No buts, now get up.” And with that he pulled himself out of Jackson’s arms to turn off the alarm, luckily getting to the second before it even went off.

Jackson groaned at the cool breeze which overtook Namjoon’s spot in the bed, begrudgingly he got up and got ready anyway.

\--

“Make your way to the neighborhood of Jamestown and find Akotoku Academy.” Namjoon read the clue aloud. 

Running up, they had to ask three different drivers before one admitted that they knew where Jamestown was. “It’s where they do boxing”, the driver had told them. By the time they got there they saw people boxing in a ring and ran up to read the clue.

“Can I do it?! Pleaaase Joonie,” Jackson nearly begged after they read the clue. Namjoon had no idea why, he was obviously better suited for this, so he only laughed and patted the other on the back before he ran off and picked a trainer.

Namjoon laughed watching Jackson try to properly wrap his hand, Jackson’s whines of “wait”, “stop,” and “you’re going too fast”, all falling on deaf ears. Somehow though, when he went to get passed off he had apparently done just fine.

Namjoon wasn’t surprised when Jackson ripped through the rest of the roadblock as if he did this routine every day. He was surprised at this feeling he felt welling up in his chest however, but he just dismissed it as nerves as Jackson came running over with the next hint and a beautiful, scratch that, a huge smile on his face. 

Ripping the clue open, Jackson began reading it immediately, “Drive by taxi do the Dodowa District”, and before he was even done reading the clue he started running for a new taxi.

\--

They were, presumably, halfway to the school that they were supposed to bring the supplies to when Namjoon decided to re-read the clue listing everything they had to bring, because he just had this nagging feeling telling them that they forgot something. “two trowels?” he said aloud, and after checking his own wheelbarrow, asked Jackson a little louder, “Hey Jackie, do you have the two trowels?”.

Jackson looked down and didn’t see them, stopping in the middle of the road he flipped the bag of concrete to see if they were under there. “Shit” he said, more of a reflex than anything. 

“I’ll be right back” Namjoon said before running off to grab the tools they had apparently forgotten.

By the time he got back to the supply depot two teams had already passed him and a third was loading up their wheelbarrows why he grabbed the trowels. 

Shaking his head, he ran even faster back to where Jackson was waiting for him, or at least where he expected Jackson to be waiting for him. But after turning the road he saw no sign of his teammate. Grumbling under his breath he continued, although at a slightly slower pace, towards the school, he should have expected Jackson to do something like this. “He better not hurt himself,” he said out loud, passing the second team that had passed him earlier.

They gave him a weird look and that’s when he realized he must have spoken in Korean. He laughed at that, they were supposed to try to speak in English for the entire race, unless it would be beneficial not to, like if they ended up in Korea you couldn’t expect Namjoon not to use his native tongue. “Sorry, “, he said with a smile, quickening his pace trying to find his partner.

\--

Jackson watched the other run off, and he was content just waiting for the other, until he saw in the distance another team catching up. Swearing under his breath he chained the wheelbarrows together and continued to the school, Namjoon better know where to find him.

He got to the checkpoint, and decided to just sit and wait for Namjoon to show up, they had been a lot closer to the school than they had thought, so Jackson wasn’t necessarily worried, he just wasn’t too happy to have to watch another team get the clue right in front of him. There goes their lead.

A few minutes later he saw a blond man turning the final corner, he immediately got up off the ground, and ran to meet him halfway. When they met he saw how red Namjoon’s face was, “shit man, are you okay?” he asked, only to be met with a look that said, “are you kidding me?”.

“Are you kidding me?” Jackson heard Namjoon say, okay so maybe it wasn’t just the look. “I just had to run, how crazy are you that you thought you could push two wheelbarrows full of cement and bricks nearly half the way back by yourself?!” Namjoon started walking towards said wheelbarrows.

“C’mon, it wasn’t even that far, like maybe four hundred meters,” Jackson huffed. Namjoon didn’t say anything else as they brought the materials to get their next clue.

\--

Luckily for the pair they were able to complete the next task in no time at all. Who knew Namjoon would be so good at African Geography?

“Bicycle parts or language arts?” Jackson read the clue allowed.

“Is it even a question?” Namjoon asked, smiling at Jackson.

Jackson would be lying if he said his heart didn’t flutter at the dimply smile the other gave him, but he just chalked it off to being the proof that Namjoon wasn’t actually mad at him.

Jackson howled with laughter as they headed off to get their phrase.

Jackson motioned to the table, telling Namjoon he should pick the phrase, so he did, and they made their way to the wall with the codes on it. Easily enough they were able to find a translation for the entire piece, so Namjoon scribbled down the eight-character sequence they would be looking for. “You start here, I’ll go down to the other side.” He said before running to the other side of the wall.

By the time Namjoon had made it to the other side however, he was already being called back, “Namjoon! Right here!”, so Namjoon turned around and ran right back to Jackson. Sure enough, he had found it. “Over here “, Jackson shrieked at the children who were supposed to give them their next clue, and after laughing at the pair they did just that. 

Next they had to go to the pit stop.

\--

When they arrived Awuso Ntso they saw no signs of other teams. Searching the grounds they saw Phil just behind some trees, “Jackson!” Namjoon said to grab the other’s attention while motioning over to the pit stop.

“Yessssss!” Jackson screamed before grabbing Namjoon’s hand and pulling him to the pit stop. They jumped on the mat, and were met with Phil’s bemused face.

“Jackson and Namjoon,” Phil started.

“Yes.”, the pair responded, hardly containing their excitement. There was no way any other team was able to complete the last two tasks as quickly as they had.

“You are team number… One!” The pair cheered as Namjoon picked up Jackson and spun him around, deciding to stop before he dropped the other on his face. “I do have some good news, you guys have won $5,000 each, which you can use to spend after the race.”

“What?!” Jackson asked, bewildered, beside him Namjoon was all smiles. 

After the cameras were off the pair pulled out a pen and paper to see how much they had really won. Their jaws dropped at seeing that the total was nearly six million won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo, So I tried setting something up, we'll see how it goes!
> 
> Also, thanks for the support you guys have given <3


	4. Episode 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson does something that he regrets

They were on their tenth round of rock, paper, scissors. For some God awful reason, they just kept picking the same thing again and again and again.

“Kai, Bai, Bo!” the pair said for the eleventh time.

“Wahaaa! Yessss!” Jackson shrieked, possibly louder than any time previously.

Namjoon didn’t even have to look to see he had lost, “Just don’t take too long” he grumbled to the other. He sighed as he fell to the ground, all he wanted to do was shower, sadly there was only one in their room.

\--

Later that evening they returned from eating and nearly fell asleep walking back to their room. As Jackson went to change into sleep clothes Namjoon set the alarms and collapsed on his bed. He’d almost fallen asleep in a matter of minutes before he felt the blanket lift up behind him and a warm body fill the cold space.

As Jackson felt the younger man shift he was afraid. He didn’t know why he immediately thought to lay with Namjoon. He didn’t even remember when he made the decision to the night before. It just seemed like he was on autopilot and didn’t realize what he had done, but now he had to deal with the repercussions. 

Hopefully the race wouldn’t be too awkward after this.

\--

Namjoon’s first reaction was to turn and latch on to the person who had entered his personal space. As he began the motion he stopped halfway after realizing, this was Jackson. It felt like an eternity as his mind cycled through everything, the glances, the cheering, most importantly the fact that the last three times they had went to sleep it ended up with them waking up together. 

Which is why when Namjoon was comfortably laying on his back he just looked to where the older was lying and grabbed his arm pulling him closer, smiling as he felt the other relax into him.

\--

Jackson was the first one to wake up, before the alarms even went off. Just before he was about to get up the scenes from the previous night all came rushing back to him. Remembering when Namjoon just pulled him closer when he was so afraid the exact opposite was going to happen. 

Between the memory, and the sensation of his face in the crook of Namjoon’s neck and the fact that their legs were so tangled caused his face to break out in a heat. Pulling his torso off of Namjoon, and slowly twisting his leg from between the other’s Jackson was amazed he hadn’t woken the younger boy. After being sure that that was the case he took a second to marvel at the scene beneath him.

Namjoon’s hair was a little messy, but not enough to look like bed head. And from this close you could almost make out the tint of pink towards the tips of it. Jackson smiled remembering “Pink Mon”, he had thought it was absolutely adorable. Moving his eyes down further the next thing he noticed was just how at peace the other looked. His skin looked impossibly smooth, even for an idol, and his eyes were completely relaxed. He could see his nostrils slightly opening and closing as he breathed. Jackson did his best to suppress a chuckle, now realizing the other hadn’t snored in a couple nights. 

Then he focused in on the other’s lips. On camera they always looked full and soft, but this close up there was something different. They were still pretty full, almost the same pink that once stained his hair, but you could tell they were definitely chapped. Before Jackson could even realize what he was doing, he felt himself lowering his lips to his partners. They barely touched before Jackson had realized what he’d done. Jerking away he fell off the bed taking Namjoon’s blanket with him, apparently being with the other so much was rubbing off on him. 

The next thing he noticed was a concerned face looking over him, “Jackson! Are you alright?” Namjoon asked with so much worry it warmed Jackson’s heart. Searching the other’s eyes he looked for any hint that he knew what Jackson had just done, any but any disgust he had expected to see wasn’t present, only concern.

\--

Namjoon woke up to the feeling of someone watching him. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, the most uncomfortable part was that his chest and legs were now cold with Jackson’s body heat missing. But he could still feel him, probably his elbow, against Namjoon’s bicep, and the wall of heat was right there with him, just not attached to him. But he felt the heat coming closer to his face and before he knew it he felt a pair of lips against his.

He couldn’t help the reflex of his eyes opening or and hand going to the place he had sworn he just felt a spark. Instantaneously he heard a loud thud. Looking over the bed he saw Jackson tangled up with his blanket on the floor. “Jackson! Are you alright?” Namjoon asked looking at the older boys red face, sheen with worry. “I… I heard you fall, what happened?” he asked offering a hand, deciding to ignore whatever he had felt because apparently with Jackson’s reaction he wanted to ignore it too.

“Uh,” Jackson said searching for the words, assuming Namjoon didn’t feel anything, “I just had a bad dream I guess.” He finished before jumping up and running to the shower.

Namjoon waited to hear the click of the door before raising his fingers to his lips yet again. And then he let himself slowly be crushed by the fact that Jackson obviously immediately regretted it, that he couldn’t wait to leave the room after it happened. 

\--

As soon as Jackson closed the door he fell against it, fingers ghosting over his lips. Why had he been so stupid and acted on impulse? Thank fuck Namjoon was such a heavy sleeper. He stayed sitting there until the alarms went off, and came out hoping he could forget it ever happened and move on with the race. 

\--

They were currently sitting in silence on their connecting flight from Frankfurt to get to the Arctic Circle. Namjoon was never one to be loud on a flight, but Jackson’s been dead quiet for the last few hours, no matter what Namjoon tried to say to him, hell Jackson would barely even look at him, if only he knew that he was stomping on the younger boy’s heart. 

Sparing a glance at Jackson, Namjoon’s heart tugged with fondness seeing the elder asleep. He looked so peaceful. Namjoon began to wonder when he started feeling this way, they’ve always been close. But they had never been able to spend so much time together, only occasionally going for food at two or three in the morning.

Smiling, Namjoon’s eyes swept over the other’s face, thinking that if only they weren’t in public he’d probably kiss him, just to remember what it was like. Shaking his head at the thought he felt the plane touch down before gently shaking the other awake, “Jackson, wake up, we’re here”.

\--

Now that the cameras were on Jackson’s entire demeanor had shifted, and he wasted no time in running to their car, pulling out a map they’d gotten at the airport. 

Upon getting to the storage facility they got their second clue, which was… a giant block of ice. Carrying it to the parking lot they saw someone and asked him if he knew what their clue meant.

“Yes, it’s a camp a couple of kilometers away.”

“Could you please tell us how to get there?” Jackson asked, as Namjoon carefully studied the other, wondering how he could be this friendly to strangers, and ignore Namjoon almost completely.

But he listened to the directions, and the next thing he knew they were there.

“Who’s feeling kind of mushy?” Namjoon read the clue aloud, “I’ll do it” he added, and Jackson only nodded his head.

Getting onto the sled Namjoon realizes it probably should have been Jackson to do the roadblock, there is no way he’d be able to grab five flags while moving. Taking a deep breath, the dogs started running, Namjoon focused, he had to get them all, maybe Jackson would actually talk to him if he did.

Which was why Namjoon was even more upset when he came back with the pelts that he needed to train for the clue, and Jackson didn’t even say anything, not even as they got their next clue which Namjoon read even though it should have been Jackson.

Namjoon felt helpless as they made their way to the train station.

\--

“Sleds or beds?” Jackson read for once while Namjoon relished his voice. 

“Do you want to put up the tent?” Namjoon asked, the other would be quicker, but the chances of him not messing it up were low. 

“Okay” Jackson amended as they head off to do their detour. It surprisingly didn’t take that long, but the silence made it feel like eternity. Namjoon found himself telling a story of when he and the rest of Bangtan wanted to go camping, and ended up putting tents in their dorm when they were told they couldn’t, trying to ignore the silence that came with Jackson only nodding his head, but at least it was something.

\--

Jackson felt terrible, he could tell Namjoon realized he was acting differently. But he was just so afraid of what would happen if he actually spoke. So he opted to enjoy the low timbre of Namjoon’s voice as he tried to fill the silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh heheh I don't know what this mess is, but yes, next episode should be interesting, or maybe the one after it, who knows, I really don't want to make them suffer, but it's so much easier to write xD


	5. Episode 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Onto Norway

They had made it to their room for the night, after the most awkward drive ever. During the ride Namjoon just came to accept the fact that Jackson would probably ignore him for the rest of his life when cameras weren’t around. He tried to swallow down the pain that came with your best friend completely blocking you out after kissing you. It was as they arrived at the hotel that he came to terms with it, accepting the awkward air around them. He then vowed that he would continue to do his best regardless, if for nothing else other than trying to bring the money home for Bangtan.

\--

Jackson felt terrible. Every time Namjoon would try to say something, Jackson would ignore it completely. He tried to ignore the look of disappointment on Namjoon’s face, but could only think of how disappointed he would be if he knew the reason Jackson was so withdrawn. If Namjoon found out there would be no hope for them continuing the race.

As soon as they got in their room he made his way to the bathroom, not even bothering to ask the other, or to drop off his bag. Once the door shut, he fell to the floor. He was so upset with himself. He didn’t know when the tears started to fall, but soon he was nearly sobbing. Realizing how loud he must be being he tried to cover the sound with the shower, but realized it was no use when there was a soft knock on the door.

“Jackson?” Namjoon asked, and Jackson nearly resented the tone of worry that laced his name. 

He tried to calm himself, but when he looked in the mirror he saw how terrible he looked, skin blotchy, snot coming from his nose, eyes nearly glossed over. Slowly, he counted down from ten in his mind while taking deep breaths effectively blocking out the world around him. By the time he got to one though, the knocking on the door was persistent accompanied by a worried Namjoon asking if he was alright. Ignoring the way his heart broke even more at the sound of concern Jackson shouted, maybe too loudly, “I’m fine”, before finally getting ready to shower with a stone set face. He didn’t know if he was happy or sad that the knocking had stopped.

By the time he exited the bathroom Namjoon was already in bed, so Jackson silently made his way to his own, and laid down facing the wall.

\--

Namjoon was setting their alarms for the next day when he thought he heard Jackson cough. Thinking nothing of it, he started getting ready for bed until the sound persisted and he realized what it was – Jackson was crying. Following his first instinct he got up and softly knocked on the bathroom door. “Jackson” he softly called to the other to be met with silence.

It was then that Namjoon realized Jackson had no intention to say anything. “Okay,” the younger man started, “you don’t have to talk to me, but please just listen”. More silence. “I… I’m sorry, I don’t know what I did, but I’m sorry. I just want my friend back, hell Jackson it’s been a day, and I already can’t handle this, I.. I don’t know if…” he trailed off only to be met with more silence. “I’ll do whatever you want, just tell me okay? If you don’t want me to talk to you anymore, I won’t, I just… I just need you to be able to look at me without it looking like you might throw up at any second.” 

Namjoon sighed before finally saying, “What do you want Jackson. Jackson? Jackson, are you okay?” He was about to turn the door knob when he heard Jackson’s voice.

“I’m fine.”

It was a simple phrase, he should have taken comfort in that fact, but he couldn’t. Instead he felt his breath catch in his throat and everything around him crumble. The anger that laced the sentence made his heart drop in his chest. He didn’t even say anything before going to bed, slightly hoping this was all a bad dream and that when he woke up tomorrow it would be like nothing had happened, even if that meant taking the kiss back.

The kiss.  
Just thinking of it Namjoon felt his lips tingle. As he fell deeper into the bed he allowed his mind to wander, hoping it would lead to him falling asleep.

\--

Sleep never came however, and he could tell it was the case for Jackson judging by the sound of rustling sheets hadn’t stopped since just after he laid down.

Looking at the clock for the millionth time he saw that there was only three hours before they had to be awake. As quietly as he could, Namjoon got out of bed and grabbed one of the extra alarms before going and locking himself in the bathroom. After setting the alarm he finally allowed the tears he’d been holding in all day fall, allowing them to carry him to sleep.

\--

When Jackson heard Namjoon get up and go to the bathroom he finally allowed himself to turn around and look at the time. Mentally cursing himself he noticed that they had to be up in three hours and neither had slept. After fifteen minutes had passed, he thought about getting up to check on Namjoon. Ten minutes past that he finally did, only to realize that he could hear soft whimpers on the other side of the door. 

He started knocking on the door after realizing it was locked, only to be met with nothing. Sighing he fell to the ground.

\--

Jackson didn’t know when he fell asleep, he just knew he was awake after the door behind him opened, causing him to fall to the ground.

Blinking away the sleep in his eyes he saw a very concerned looking Namjoon hovering over him.

“Are you okay?” Namjoon asked, clearly concerned.

“Yea,” Jackson grunted, pulling himself off the ground and running into the bathroom before he could hear any of Namjoon’s apologies. 

\--

“Make a run for the border, drive yourselves to Narvik, Norway”. Jackson read the clue after Namjoon made no clear intention of going for it. He didn’t see the small smile on Namjoon’s face when he was reading it.

As Namjoon drove, following the two teams that got in front of them, and ended up talking to their cameraman more than his teammate. However, when they got closer to where they were supposed to go, Jackson finally spoke up, “Namjoon! Isn’t that the driveway?”.

Sure enough it was, and even though the other two teams had missed it, they had gotten to the gondolas first, effectively getting them to the fast forward first. As they exited the car Namjoon went to give Jackson a high-five, and despite the nervous energy that was flowing among the two, the other returned it with only minimal hesitation.

\--

They had seen the choice, all they had to do to skip everything else in this leg was complete some Christmas ritual. 

But when they got to the location, they realized they made a mistake. They’d have to eat an entire sheep’s head. 

“Do you think you can do it?” Namjoon asked Jackson after something that looked like fear briefly crossed his features.

“I mean at least it won’t be spicy, right?” Jackson asked, trying to joke.

Namjoon nodded, enjoying the fact that the other had actually responded to him even though it would have been for the benefit of the cameras. 

\--

They didn’t know how long it took them to eat that thing, because both had been dozing in and out of consciousness. Perhaps that was what helped them actually complete the challenge, because imagining it was beef didn’t seem to help.

 

“Drive yourself to the next pit stop,” Namjoon read their final clue aloud, “the Akenes Marina”. 

Half an hour later they got there. Of course they placed first, and they really should have been excited, but both were so tired it definitely didn’t show. By the time they got back to their room all they could remember was that they won a trip somewhere, and that they had to be awake in ten hours, and that didn’t seem to be long enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, I'm sorry, I'm terrible. But school has been kicking my ass. I promise I'll try harder to get more out! Please let me know what you guys think (:


	6. Episode 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Namson takes on Russia

Jackson was about to make his way to the bathroom again, he promised himself he would actually shower instead of wasting half the time crying, when he felt a hand grip his wrist. He wanted to think a way out of this situation but he was so damn tired his mind could barely comprehend what exactly was happening as he was turned around.

The next thing he knew he was enveloped in a hug with the other man running his hand up and down his back. Jackson really didn’t even know what was going on, this didn’t feel real. It didn’t feel real when Namjoon softly whispered his name. It didn’t feel real when Namjoon kissed the top of his head. It didn’t feel real when he faded into darkness.

\--

After watching Jackson miserably for the better part of what Namjoon could actually remember, he decided that it was time to do something about it. The ride back to their room Namjoon formulated a plan. If he was right Jackson would try to run and hide in the bathroom again, but that wouldn’t happen tonight. He knew the only way Jackson would be okay is if he talked about it, if he said they needed to leave the race because Jackson couldn’t stand Namjoon’s face anymore, that’s what needed to happen, as long as Jackson would be okay again, that’s all Namjoon wanted.

When the door was shut Namjoon turned around to see his prediction was correct, but he was ready with his hand around Jackson’s wrist before the elder could make it to the door. When he turned Jackson around he was ready to make him talk through everything, he really was. But he just looked so _broken_. He was ready to make him talk but instead pulled him closer whispering his name and stroking his back. 

Soon he felt the sobs wrack Jackson’s body and Namjoon became a whole new kind of worried. Maybe something happened that Jackson found out about. There’s no way the man could be that disgusted by the younger. So he did what he had to do and let the elder cry in his arms while comforting him. 

Soon the sobs subsided and soft snoring took their place. Certain the other was asleep Namjoon lifted him and carried him to lay him down on the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed Namjoon began running his fingers through Jacksons hair until silence filled the room and he was certain Jackson was down for the night. 

Sighing, Namjoon stood and went to the bathroom to get ready for the night, but not without sparing what seemed to be a million glances to ensure the other was still asleep. 

After his shower Namjoon got everything ready for tomorrow and set the alarms for an earlier than usual – he was getting Jackson to talk tomorrow morning. Sighing he made his way to his own bed. Just as he was about to turn in for the night he felt a tug on the edge of his shirt. 

He thought about fighting it, it would have probably been best for Jackson if he had just ignored it and went to his own bed and finally slept for more than an hour. But he also wanted to be selfish.

Which is why he let himself be dragged into Jacksons bed. Which is why he slept better than he could remember with Jackson in his arms. Which is why he allowed himself to let them sleep past the first alarm. The next thing he knew they were sitting there waiting for their next clue.

\--

Jackson had slept better than he could ever remember. Logically, he should have been embarrassed for crying in front of the other. He should also have not tugged the other into his bed. But when he woke up before any of their alarms feeling well rested he decided it was worth it. He just wanted to enjoy this time with Namjoon which is why when the alarm went off he pretended to be asleep. 

That was probably the best decision he had made since they went on the race because when Namjoon’s lips rest against his forehead there was literally nothing Jackson would trade for that moment. Maybe it was because of this, or maybe he was too exhausted of avoiding Namjoon. Hell, maybe it’s because he just finally understood that he deserved happiness, but it was at some time between their first and second alarm that Jackson decided he would just try to enjoy the rest of the limited time on the race. It had obviously become apparent that Namjoon knew nothing of the time Jackson kissed him, and he’d keep it that way if he could just go back to being friends with the other, if he could go back to this.

\--

“Fly to Saint Petersberg, Russia!” Jackson read the clue as Namjoon smiled. He didn’t know what happened, but Jackson seemed to have done a 180. Whatever it was made it worth it. 

Namjoon’s smile only grew when he realized that Jackson’s demeanor didn’t change when the cameras were off. They passed the time on the flight, with all of the other teams, talking for once. At some point Jackson began to help Namjoon expand his Chinese. If either of them had cared they would have noticed the grumpy looks around them because no one could understand a thing the two were saying, but that made it all the more special.

\--

After arriving in Russia, they had no problem making their way to the first clue.

“Classical music or classical cinema?” Namjoon read the clue aloud. 

Jackson smiled at the younger man. “Classical music?”

“Absolutely” Namjoon smiled back.

Really there was never a question, the pair had a great memory, especially when it came to music. Jackson memorized the first and second, while Namjoon covered the second and the third. Within ten minutes they were sure they had the three picked out and brought it back to get their next clue. It was almost too easy.

\--

The next task made up for the lacking difficulty of the previous mission. 

“Who’s ready for a Russian drag race?” Jackson decided to do it, but halfway through he had really wished that he let Namjoon do this one. He had to plant over fifty potatoes and fertilize them – while dressed as a Babushka. 

It wasn’t necessarily hard, it was just a lot of work and Jackson’s sense of direction decided to betray him. By the time he got to the field to actually plant the potatoes two other people were already there. And everything stank so much. 

\--

Namjoon was rather grateful that Jackson decided to do this Road Block. He’d definitely have no qualms about letting Jackson have the bathroom first tonight. 

He was also thankful that he was able to be alone with his thoughts for the ninety minutes Jackson was doing the task. He was lost in his own world when he heard the ever-familiar shrieking coming closer to him. But the smile that had unconsciously grown on his face quickly disappeared as he smelled the man whose arms were around him. 

\--

Jackson was so glad to finally be done with that task. He was even happier for the split second he was in Namjoon’s arms, understanding when the other pushed him away. “I’m sorry, I love you man but you stink”.

Jackson laughed it off, ignoring how his heart jumped. He also ignored the kiss his cheek felt when Phil told them they had come in second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh sorry I'm not really happy with this. I just didn't feel like writing really but somehow I had made myself do it, and this is what it turned out to be.
> 
> So yea
> 
> By the way thank you guys so much for the Kudos and Comments, I really appreciate it <3


	7. Episode 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Namson takes HONG KONG

Namjoon didn’t know what had come over him when he kissed Jackson on the cheek at the pit stop, but he also decided that he didn’t care. He was just happy to have Jackson back finally. After the last night he just decided that he would enjoy the rest of the race as much as he could.

\--

It was surprisingly easy to enjoy everything, the last three legs seemed to go by in a flash with the pair coming in first on the last two and second before that. Everything was great and Namjoon wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. But he couldn’t help the nagging feeling that something was going to happen, however he stayed true to the promise he made himself and silenced the nagging while he just enjoyed waiting for their alarm to go off.

\--

Jackson had been relishing the last few legs. Since that night their communication seemed to get better than ever. They didn’t even need words at this point, and when they were deep in the competition the only words that were spoke were those of encouragement. 

Jackson savored those moments, whether it be Namjoon whispering encouragements into his ear or him screaming and cheering for Namjoon through the other’s roadblocks. The pair seemed to be so in sync that Jackson barely noticed his heart racing when Namjoon’s lips brushed over his ears, or Namjoon’s fingers ran across his back when they were moving. 

Part of their teamwork had to be attributed to how they handled themselves during the rest periods. They had perfected the art of Jackson letting Namjoon shower as soon as they got back, and Namjoon setting their alarms and preparing their bags for the next morning while Jackson took his shower. 

It worked like clockwork to the point where every time Jackson would exit the bathroom he’d see their bags set by the door ready for the morning and Namjoon sitting in his bed reading one of his favorite collections of poetry. And just like clockwork when Namjoon heard the door open he looked up to meet Jackson with a smile before shutting off the light and shuffling over to make room for the other.

They never really talked about it, but after the night where Jackson reached out to Namjoon, the pair only ever used one bed. Obviously it was because they both slept better this way and not because Jackson wanted an excuse to feel Namjoon’s arms around his torso, or because waking up to the steady beat of the other’s heart was surely the best way to start the day. 

\--

Namjoon didn’t question the routine the duo found themselves in, instead he cherished his mornings. He cherished the soft snores that escaped from the other’s mouth. He cherished the look of utter peace Jackson’s face wore. He cherished Jackson. 

Glancing at the alarms on the night stand Namjoon sighed. He only had ten minutes before he’d have to wake up Jackson and they’d have to start their day. Pulling the other closer he closed his eyes and took everything in – they only had a few more nights that they could be like this before they had to go home, he was definitely going to make the best of it.

\--

They were now waiting for their clue, and before Namjoon’s mind could make sense of everything that was happening Jackson was screaming louder than Namjoon could ever remember.

“FLY TO HONG KONG” Jackson screamed, “JOONIE OH MY GOD WE GET TO GO TO HONG KONG”.

Namjoon smiled as he felt himself being wrapped in the other’s arms as he jumped around.

\--  
Surely enough they ended up on the same flight with all of the other teams. Namjoon and Jackson had tried their best to find a separate flight, it was worthless. But when it came time to wait to get on the flight Namjoon had wished that they’d gotten on a different flight even if it had left later at this point because of how one of their competitors was acting.

He really should have expected this, someone complaining about how unfair it was that this late in the Race they were going to one of the competitor’s hometowns. With the language barrier that stood between all but one of the other teams and the Chinese – speaking destination Namjoon could almost understand the animosity. Almost. But he couldn’t. Everyone knew that the destinations and challenges were mapped out far enough in advance that it didn’t matter who the contestants were. On top of that he wanted to remind them that while Chinese was none of their native languages, when it was the final leg that would ultimately bring them back to America – English was neither his or Jacksons. How ludicrous was it that they were blaming he and Jackson for being multilingual?

Jackson must have seen this all brewing behind his teammate’s expression because as soon as Namjoon was about to get up and finally explain the situation he felt a hand placed over his own – effectively holding him in place. “It’s not worth it,” Jackson spoke, careful to do so in Korean but also quietly enough that no one would have a chance at hearing it in the first place.

Namjoon looked to the other’s eyes before nodding his head, “Yea, you’re right”.

\--

They had finally landed in Hong Kong, and Namjoon was questioning if he’d ever seen the other so happy. But by the time they were exiting the terminal Namjoon felt Jackson’s hand enclosing on his before dragging him towards the bus – he knew exactly where he was going. 

Standing on the bus Namjoon smiled as Jackson pointed out different buildings and by the time they got to the ferry Namjoon was sure that he’d already had the entirety of the city mapped out to him in stories.

\--

Walking into the restaurant, Jackson felt like he was at home. Ignoring the thoughts that came with home he smiled while Namjoon read their next clue, “Who’s feeling peckish?”.

No doubt Jackson would do the task which involved searching through an entire buffet looking for a piece of fake display food. It really didn’t take him that long to find the fake piece, but he’d be lying if he said he completed the task right away. It had been so long since he’d had the food he’d grown up with so he may or may not have decided to sample as much of it as he could. That was until he heard Namjoon calling his name only to be pointed in the direction of another team coming in. Sadly, he picked up the fake food and turned it, only to bring the clue next to a knowing Namjoon.

“Was it good?” the younger asked with a smirk before Jackson just slung his arm around the others shoulder as Namjoon began to read the next clue, “enter the dragon”.

“The avenue of stars! Joonie, did you know that’s where Bruce Lee’s statue is? Ooh and it’s not that far from here, we could probably walk there in like five minutes, let’s go!” Jackson excitedly told the other as he began directing him to the right place. Right before they were about to get to their location of the next clue Namjoon pointed something out to the other – the bus stop across from the clue box was donned with Jackson’s face. 

“Oh my god Jackson, look,” Namjoon started laughing, “I wonder how they’re going to react to seeing that.” Jackson laughed, he could think of someone in particular who would be very, _happy_ to see such a site. Shaking his head, he just pulled Namjoon to the cluebox.

“Detour: Ding Ding or Sampam?” Jackson read aloud. “Oooh, Joonie can we do Sampam? I’ve never been on one before!”

Namjoon smiled, “of course”.

\--

Despite basically having a home advantage, this was one of the most difficult detours they’d come across. It took what felt like forever, but they finally were able to find the boat they were searching for. Getting their clue, the pair made their way to Statue Square, and no matter how tired they were, Jackson’s smile was ever-present. Even when their taxi driver didn’t know where to go, Jackson was able to figure out how to get them there. 

“Namjoon and Jackson,” Phil started as the pair were anxiously awaiting their placement, “I’m sorry to tell you-”. And suddenly time seemed to still. What how had they ended up in last place – had it really taken them that long to do their final task? Had every other team managed to pass them? Namjoon could nearly fill tears building behind his eyes in that instance with Jackson pulling him closer and putting an arm around his shoulders. This was it.

“I’m sorry to tell you, “ Phil repeated, “That you must continue racing, here is your next clue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, sorry, I'm terrible. I started writing this chapter like a week and a half ago but then I got really busy and yes I'm sorry. But feedback is always appreciated! Let me know what you guys think <3

**Author's Note:**

> Also, did y’all know that JYP is the parent company of Big Hit? I don’t know how to feel about it, but basically that’s why it’s only JYP who you’re seeing organize this, Wherever he said “we” just assume he ran it over with Bang, but really it’s JYP if he wants to do something like this he’d probably do it, so yea. Also I’m not 100% sure on how the break even thing works, from what I understand basically members have to pay for everything, the company just does it initially like a loan? Yea I apologize for whatever I may have gotten wrong about that.


End file.
